My Pace
by Cykotyks
Summary: It just takes three steps and a chance... [AU] [RenjiIchigo] [on hiatus until inspiration strikes]
1. Prologue

**Summary**: Starting a new life is hard...Try keeping pace with somebody who's lived it for years.

**Notes**: Almost totally AU - there are still elements of the Bleach story. Sorry for making some of the characters the way they are, but for the purpose of the story...yeah. Deal. XP And again, shounen-ai (this should be expected!). Renji+Ichigo (also expected!). Fluff. Major major fluff. So much fluff it'll make your teeth hurt. (Or not - my attempts at fluff usually go down in flames. Angsty angsty flames u.u)

**Warning**: Mild violence for now, OOC-ness (deal - it's AU!)

* * *

My Pace : The Beginning of...Something

* * *

The birds chirped noisily as the sky slowly turned from blue into deep reds and oranges. At the edge of a pond, a little boy sat with his pants rolled up to his knees, feet in the water, watching the ripples dissipate across the glassy surface. After a bit, he looked up at the sky and laid down on his back, watching the colors. A gentle breeze ruffled the boy's spiky orange hair and he sighed. 

_The sky's so pretty…_

"Ichigo!"

The boy jolted up, recognizing the voice. "Coming!" he called back, grabbing his socks and shoes as he jumped up. He raced over to the group he knew as his family.

"I shouldn't have to call for you, boy," his stepfather growled.

"G-gomen nasai," Ichigo stuttered, trying to get his socks and shoes back on as fast as possible.

Isshin cuffed him on the back of his head. "You're too slow. Get in the car, we'll talk about this when we get home."

"Yessir," Ichigo responded, trying his best to keep the dread out of his voice. He climbed into the car his mother was waiting in.

"Are you alright, baby?" she asked him, smiling.

Ichigo nodded, but his stepfather got into the car before he could reply. He didn't want to anger him any more than he already had, not that Isshin would do anything drastic to him while his mother was there, but Ichigo was already in trouble and he wasn't dumb enough to make it worse.

"Thank you for taking us, dear," his mother was saying to Isshin.

"Anything for you, sweetie," he replied.

Ichigo wanted to gag. Why had his mother married such a disgusting man? It completely baffled him, but his mother had just told him that he would understand someday. Ichigo didn't really want to understand, he just wanted that man to leave his mother alone. It was bad enough that the baby in his mother's swollen tummy was his! That much Ichigo understood. He understood that his stepfather would never consider him as his child, just as he would never consider his stepfather as anything but the man his mother married.

Ichigo didn't have any memories of his birth father. His mother said he was an American, that's why he had orange hair. Ichigo wondered if Isshin hated that his stepson was half-American. Then again, Ichigo wondered a lot of things, which often led to daydreaming, which Isshin often hit him for, saying that he had to pay attention at all times. So Ichigo never wondered too many things around his stepfather – he got hit too many times to begin with.

Speaking of which, they were pulling up into their driveway. Ichigo got out of the car and followed his mother and Isshin into the house, bracing himself for whatever punishment his stepfather felt like dealing to him tonight.

* * *

Vocabulary:  
**Gomen nasai**: "I'm very sorry" 


	2. Step One

**Disclaimer**: I don't own it, okay? Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. "My Pace" (the song and lyrics) belongs to SunSet Swish and I demand that you listen to it (I've had it for like a week and I've already listened to it at least 43 times, according to iTunes XD)

**Note #1**: Ichigo is not entirely OOC. If you think about it, he was a bit of a sissy before his mother was killed. I'm pulling from that. I promise he becomes more canon later, though.  
**Note #2**: Most of this chapter is dialogue. I'm hoping you guys can paint your own scenes for yourself with what I have.  
**Note #3**: Yay for dialect! XD  
**Note #4**: OMFG mean Isshin! XD Haha - leave it to me to twist a character. Canon!Isshin is rather abusive towards Ichigo, though, it's just that he's a goofball so we don't really think much of it. If he were an angry man and that abusive, we'd totally hate him, right? Right. So start hating AU!Isshin, coz he ain't gonna get a whole lot more likeable.  
**Note #5**: I have a surprise pairing (with a plot twist!) waiting in the wings and I think it may actually be original (I'll get back to you on that). There also may be a few implied crack pairings, but that could very well not even happen.  
**Note #6**: I er... may or may not have Urahara totally IC. He's a bit of an unpredictable yet highly loveable nut, so I'm attempting to keep him as in-character as possible.

Okay - enough of the notes. Thank you, my lovely reviewers! I love reviews - they make me happy :3

* * *

My Pace : It's Okay to Live  
_"Hitotsu kazoete sumeba ii"_

* * *

Ichigo sat in the alleyway, his knees pulled up against his chest as he attempted to keep warm. The wind had picked up during the night and was now howling through the streets, blowing the autumn leaves everywhere.

_This was such a bad idea…_

It was the middle of the night in the middle of October, and little Ichigo had run away from home. He wore a beanie to hide his orange hair, but other than that, he hadn't given thought to protecting himself against the cold. The only other thing he had brought with him was a stuffed lion he had named Kon, which he was now hugging tightly to his chest.

_Kon, I'm scared…_

Strangers walked past the alleyway entrance, some of them stumbling around, others in groups, laughing with each other. Ichigo had tucked himself away deep enough into the darkness to keep from being spotted easily, but that didn't stop him from tensing up every time somebody so much as paused by the entrance. In all his fear, Ichigo had taken to gnawing on Kon's ear.

"What's a little boy doing around here this late?" somebody said, snapping Ichigo to attention. "Did you get lost, little boy?" the man asked. He was tall and smelled of alcohol. Ichigo froze even though every nerve in his body screamed at him to run. The man's voice was too sweet. It kept Ichigo rooted to the spot.

"Get lost, creep!" somebody snapped from deeper into the alley, scaring Ichigo even further.

The man seemed just as surprised, but quickly left as a pebble came hurtling towards him.

Ichigo finally saw his savior – he was a boy maybe a year older than him with vibrant red hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Damn freak," the boy growled. He turned to Ichigo. "C'mon, kid, he won't be the last pervert comin' by here," he said, holding out his hand.

Ichigo silently took the other boy's hand and helped himself up. "A-arigatou," Ichigo stammered before shivering.

"Yer a runaway, ain't ya? Got clothes too nice t'be an orphan, 'nless ya stole 'em," the boy talked, leading him down the alley. "I'm Abarai Renji, by the way. Jus' call me Renji, tho', coz Abarai's the ones who dumped me here. What's yer name?"

"Ku-Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo stuttered.

Renji smirked. "Ichigo, huh?"

"I-it's written diff'rent," Ichigo said, trying to explain that his name wasn't literally "strawberry."

"Yeah, yeah, I b'lieve ya," Renji replied as they entered an abandoned building. "Hey, this is prob'ly gonna sound like a funny question, but can ya see ghosts?"

Ichigo thought for a moment, deciding on how he wanted to reply to that. "I-Isshin says ghosts aren't real," he answered in a small voice.

"Who the fuck's Isshin? I don't care what he thinks – can ya or can't ya?"

"Renji-kun, don't be so rough," a girl said, stepping into the area where the boys were. "There's a simple way to figure this out." The girl walked up to Ichigo and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Kuchiki Rukia."

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Ichigo replied with a slight blush, shaking her hand.

Rukia smiled and turned to Renji. "That would be a yes, Ren-chan."

"Don't call me that!" Renji snapped. "Che, stupid girl…"

Rukia ignored him and turned her attention back to Ichigo. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the side of Ichigo's head. There was a light bruise on the side of his face.

Ichigo looked down sheepishly. "Isshin hit me… He says I cry too much and real boys don't cry."

"Tch, this Isshin guy's soundin' like a real bastard," Renji said. "You got any other bruises or anythin'?"

Ichigo shook his head.

"Hey, Rukia, where's ev'ryone else?"

"I don't know," Rukia answered. "You better get to Urahara's soon, though. Yoruichi came by here when you were gone."

"Yeah, I was jus' gonna drop Ichigo off here before I left."

"Boke! He's not another ghost – he'll freeze here overnight!"

"Aiya, Rukia! Alright, alright! Sheesh…"

"I-it's okay," Ichigo said. "I can stay here…"

"Like hell you can!" Rukia snapped. "Don't worry about it – Urahara-san is really nice."

"Yeah, if you ignore the whole slave labor thing," Renji muttered.

"He's giving you a place to stay and food – the least you can do is help out."

Renji just snorted and led Ichigo out the door. Ichigo kept holding his hand because one, it was warm, and two, Ichigo didn't want to get separated. Renji didn't seem to mind. Ichigo just noticed that Renji was just in jeans, ratty shoes, and a t-shirt. "Aren't you cold?" Ichigo asked.

"Hm? Nah – cold doesn't bother me 'til it starts snowin'. I lived on the streets for a few years b'fore Urahara took me in. Hey, how old are ya?"

"Nine," Ichigo replied.

"Huh. I thought ya were like seven or somethin' – yer kinda scrawny."

"How old are you?"

"Ten. I think. Kinda hard t'keep track sometimes. Not that it really matters much. Oh – watch out for Jinta. He's only five, but he'll push ya 'round if ya let him. Ururu's eight and he bosses her 'round like there's no tomorrow. Kinda funny sometimes. The girl could kill 'im if she had a mean bone in her body, so don't think she's getting' victimized or anythin'."

"Victimized?"

"I dunno. It's the word Urahara used when he told me. If Jinta does start pickin' on ya, ya can get Tessai-san and he'll set the kid straight. But if ya kick his ass, he'll leave ya 'lone."

Ichigo let Renji babble on and felt strangely calm. Renji hadn't said anything about the stuffed animal, which Isshin had always said was babyish.

"Ne, Renji?"

"Huh?" Renji stopped talking and looked at him.

"How far away is it?"

"Not too much more – you getting' tired?"

Ichigo nodded a bit.

"Take yer hat off – the cold'll keep y'awake 'til we get there."

Ichigo nodded again and tugged the beanie off.

Renji blinked and smiled. "That any better?"

"Mmhm."

"Hey – what color's yer hair? Looks brown in the dark," Renji tugged Ichigo under a streetlamp. "Knew it! Yer a red-head like me!" he grinned. "Tessai-san said red-heads are always tough."

"I-I'm not that tough…"

"Yer tough enough to run away – some kids just ain't got the balls for it."

"Isshin—"

"Will ya shut up about that bastard? He ain't no man, either, if he thinks it's okay to beat up on a little kid."

"Well my momma didn't marry a woman, so what is he?" Ichigo retorted.

"He's a coward 's what he is. He ain't nothin' – he ain't got no balls or nothin'. My old man was the same way. Got drunk and kicked me an' Momma 'round. Then Momma got fed up and went and shot herself. So my old man kicked me outta tha house – told me ta get a job 'fore I came back there. He ain't nothin' either. Momma had more balls than he did…"

Silence fell. Renji had let go of Ichigo's hand. Ichigo felt guilty of bringing something up that obviously hurt Renji.

"Gomen…" Ichigo said softly, hugging Kon tightly to his chest.

Renji looked back at him. "Not your fault."

"For sayin' anything. I'm sorry."

Renji felt bad. It wasn't Ichigo's fault he vented. He wasn't ashamed of it – it wasn't the first time he had vented that. But he'd made Ichigo uncomfortable… "Don't be," he said, grabbing Ichigo's hand again. "C'mon, we're almost there."

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

"Oh, you're finally back," the two were greeted as they came through the door. The man who spoke came into view. He was tall and wore a funny green and white striped hat, under which his pale blond hair could be seen. He stopped when he noticed Ichigo. "Who've we got here?" he said, crouching down to his level.

Ichigo just clutched Kon to his chest and shifted behind Renji.

Renji glanced at Ichigo, then exchanged glances with the man. "He said his name's Kurosaki Ichigo," Renji supplied.

"Kurosaki, eh? Does your father happen to run a medical clinic?"

"_Step_-father!" Ichigo finally spoke.

The man smiled. "So you _can_ speak! I'm Urahara Kisuke," he said, holding out his hand.

Ichigo thought about it for a second, then let got of Renji's hand to take Kon from his right hand so he could shake the man's hand.

"Now then," Urahara said, standing up. "Renji, show him where your room is – he can stay with you for the time being – then I need to talk to you."

Renji nodded and took Ichigo's hand again to lead him to his room.

"Urahara's a good guy, I promise," Renji said. "He seems a little creepy now, but he's been takin' care of me an' Jinta and Ururu like we was his own kids. He'll make ya work, but it ain't nothin' ya can't handle."

"He's got blond hair," Ichigo finally said.

"What's that gotta do with anythin'?"

Ichigo just shrugged.

Renji shook his head. "Whatever – make yerself com'f'ter'ble, just don't hog the sheets, 'kay?" he said before turning around and going back to Urahara.

"Where did you find him?" was the first thing Urahara asked.

"In the alley near where Rukia an' the others stay. I just watched him for a bit – thought he mighta just gotten lost or somethin', but some pervert tried ta pick 'im up so I got 'im outta there and Rukia told me ta take 'im here with me."

"Huh. That's a bit far from his home… Did he tell you anything else?"

"Kept goin' on about some Isshin dude – didn't sound too nice a guy."

"His step-father. Did he say how he got the bruise?"

"Said Isshin smacked him for somethin' – cryin', I think."

"Did he have any other injuries?"

"He didn't say he did – Rukia asked him."

"Alright then. Off to bed before we wake Jinta up."

Renji nodded and ran silently back to his room.

* * *

Erm, I kinda forget the vocabulary depth of nine-year-olds, so sorry if it's off. Chalk it up to Ichigo being a genius and Renji having a good memory. Rukia's a ghost, so who cares.

And I am now listening to My Pace for the 44th time now XD


	3. Step Two

**Disclaimer**: I do not own XP

**Notes**: Okay, this one's short and only one person speaking for 99 percent of the time. Ah, the "..." is the time during which Masaki is talking, which probably lasts longer than three dots, but I'm lazy and I'm not going to be specific enough to measure out different length dots. So have fun with this and make your own conclusions on what Masaki is saying (I actually did a two-way conversation before taking out Masaki's parts, so ha :P)

* * *

My Pace : It's Okay to Rest_  
"Futatsu kazoete yasumeba ii"_

* * *

"Masaki-chan? … I'm really sorry for calling you this late, but your boy is— … Yes, Ichigo – what other boy do you have that I know of? … He's over here. At my house. … I can explain! I had nothing to do with it, I promise. One of my kids found him in an alley near here— … Yes, he's fine thanks to Renji. … Uhm, running, I guess. … Ah, I wasn't able to get much out of him myself, but from what Renji gathered, he's not too fond of your husband… … Just speculation here, but it might have something to do with the nasty bruise on the side of his head Kurosaki apparently gave him for crying. … Masaki…? … Masaki, I'm just as concerned as you are, but what do you want me to do with him? He can stay here – that's not a problem with me, but what are you going to do? … I know, but you have to do something. I don't care how much Kurosaki hates the kid— … Okay, maybe not hate, but they certainly don't get along. The point I'm trying to make is that Kurosaki is still going to play the concerned parent role when he finds out. You have to tell him something – preferably keeping my involvement out of it. … I don't care. He doesn't need another reason to hate me— … Whatever – what are you going to do? … I can _guilt_ him into it, but he'll only go back for your sake. He loves you to death, but he's the brightest nine-year-old I know – I'm sure he can see that you and Kurosaki love each other and with him and his stepfather at odds, he probably feels like a burden. … Don't blame yourself, Masaki. Ichigo will figure out what he wants to do soon. I'm not going to force him either way. Just at least let him have a little time to himself, okay? I promise I'll take good care of him. … It's not a problem. … He's certainly attached himself to Renji already. I'm sure he'll fit in just fine. … Yes, I will. … Not even Tessai knows. I won't say anything. … You're very welcome, Masaki. … Bai." 

Urahara hung up the phone before leaning on the table. "I told you so," he said to himself before chuckling.

* * *

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - **

* * *

Okay, so trying to keep Urahara IC through meaningful dialogue? A tad difficult. But I think I did okay, considering the topic and the situation. 

And as far as I know, nobody's done my crack pairing XD At least not as a main subject... Maybe I'll scribble down a little one-shot, just so it can be proof that it's my pairing XD (I think I'm lucky that my readers have two other stories to occupy themselves with so I may not get shot for this...)

And when Urahara calls them his kids, he doesn't mean that they're actually his kids - they're all just kids he's taken in. He's such a nice guy :D


	4. Step Three

**Disclaimer**: I no own!

**Notes**: Okay, okay! I updated! Happy?! XD You guys are so impatient! I still love you :3 I just love how I say "this story gets no love" on PoI and I receive _seven_ reviews XD Can I do the same thing for this ficcy?

* * *

My Pace : It's Okay to Think_  
"Mittsu kazoete kangaeba ii"_

* * *

"Jinta, Ururu," Urahara called in the morning, knocking on the door to their room before entering it. The two kids slept at opposite ends of the small room and both were just waking up. "We've got a new guest today who will be staying with us for quite a while—"

"That's what you said when Renji came," Jinta accused warily.

"Ahah, yes. This is much the same situation, except Ichigo does have another option, though I'm sure he won't choose it. Be that as it may, for now, Ichigo is part of the family and I expect you two to treat him as such. Well, more of I expect Jinta to play nice. I'm not to worried about you, Ururu," he clarified before ruffling their hair and exiting. "Hurry and get up, breakfast is waiting."

Jinta made a grumpy face. "Play nice? He didn't say _that_ when Renji came."

"Maybe Ichigo-kun isn't like Renji-kun," Ururu said in a small voice. "He did say Ichigo-kun had an option."

"Prob'ly means he's got another home."

Ururu didn't answer.

* * *

Breakfast went off without any major disruptions. Afterwards, Urahara had Renji lend Ichigo his clothes before he went off to do his chores. Urahara took Ichigo aside when the others were out.

"You ran away from home, right?"

Ichigo nodded. "Are you…gonna make me go back?"

Urahara sighed and sat down, beckoning Ichigo to do the same. "From what Renji said, I'm guessing you ran away because of your stepfather and because of this," he added as he tapped the bruise on Ichigo's face.

Ichigo winced and nodded again. "Isshin doesn't like me."

"And you don't like him. But what about your mother?"

Ichigo suddenly looked very guilty. "I love my momma…but she loves Isshin and Isshin doesn't hit her like he hits me. He doesn't hurt her, he just hurts me and calls me weak…"

"So you ran away."

"'Cause Momma and Isshin will have their own baby, and I'm not his kid."

"That doesn't mean you're not a part of the family."

"I'm Momma's family, not Isshin's family," Ichigo said firmly. "Momma's got Isshin's family now."

Urahara ruffled Ichigo's hair. "Regardless, your mother is probably worried sick about you. I know you don't want to go back there, but I need you to write a note to your mother making sure she knows that you know what you're doing. I'm going into Karakura today anyway, so I can drop by there and make sure she gets it, okay?"

Ichigo nodded and Urahara got up to grab a pen and paper for him.

_Dear Momma,  
I am at Urahara-san's house. He's really nice and he's letting me stay here. I just get in the way at home and Isshin doesn't like me. I love you. Don't worry about me._

_Love,  
Ichigo_

It took Ichigo four tries to write what he wanted and still wasn't greatly satisfied with the fifth, but it would have to do. Urahara was getting ready to leave and Tessai was going to let him help in the kitchen for lunch

* * *

"How come the new kid don't gotta do chores?" Jinta cried, barging into the kitchen.

"He will help out later today," Tessai said calmly.

"Ya don't do enough chores anyway, Jinta," Renji said, shoving the boy out of the way. "Ya ain't tired enough to shut up."

"Bite me, porky-pine!"

"I'll kick yer ass, ya damn triceratops!"

With that, Jinta and Renji got into a fistfight. Tessai growled lightly and picked a boy up in each hand. "Who wants sweeping duties?"

The red-haired boys froze.

"Thought so," Tessai said, dropping the boys on their feet.

Jinta and Renji glared at each other before Jinta ran off, deciding that tormenting Ururu was safer.

"Can I help with anything?" Renji asked.

"Find Ichigo and help set the table."

"Hai!" Renji ran off.

* * *

Urahara headed in the direction of the Kurosaki clinic, cleverly disguised – that is to say, he was dressed normally. He wore a forest green t-shirt with a light, black jacket left unzipped, a pair of blue jeans with rips in the knees, and tennis shoes he'd had for years and rarely wore. He had left his normal hat at home and traded it for a green baseball cap worn backwards.

He came to Kurosaki Clinic and went up to the front door of the house – if he went to the clinic doors, he'd most likely run into Kurosaki himself. He knocked and waited for a minute before the pretty brunette answered it.

"Kisuke-kun…"

Urahara gave a classic grin. "Afternoon, Masaki-chan."

Masaki just smiled back and opened the door. "Come in – Isshin's out on business."

Masaki set down the cup of tea before sitting down herself. "How's he doing?"

"He seems to be fine," Kisuke said, before digging Ichigo's note out of his back pocket. "I'll have him write to you often, if that helps."

Masaki read the note with a sad smile. "Would he… Do you think he would mind if I visited him? I don't want him to feel that he has to come back home if he doesn't feel welcome…"

"I honestly don't know, Masaki… I don't want him hurt any more than you do."

"You really love him, don't you?"

"I love all my kids, as does Tessai."

"You know that's not what I mean, Kisuke."

The blond just sighed. "I know, but… Renji, Ururu, and Jinta are as much my kids as Ichigo is now, and I love them all."

"Ichigo is your _son_, Kisuke. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Ichigo is _our_ son, Masaki, and yes, it means everything to me, and it should mean everything to you. I have no idea why you would so easily give him up to me, especially after everything that's happened."

Masaki silently gazed into her tea. "He deserves a family, Kisuke. If he and Isshin can't get along well enough to create a family…"

"Don't pin this on Ichigo. It's not his fault your husband's an ass to him."

"I know that, Kisuke," Masaki said firmly. "I love them both, but Ichigo needs a dad, not just a father. Isshin can't be his dad – Ichigo won't even call him father."

"He needs his mother, too."

Masaki gave a soft chuckle. "He's long since _needed_ me…"

Kisuke sighed. There was no moving the woman. Truthfully, he had no desire to give the boy back to her, but he had an obligation to give her a chance to take him back. After all, he didn't want to get involved in a custody battle. The way things were, Masaki would be the obvious choice. Kisuke and Tessai didn't have an exactly legal income.

"Masaki, I'm only giving you this chance. If you ever want him back, you will have to convince him yourself to come back. Tessai and I will treat him as we treat the others – he's going to become a part of our family unless he decides on his own that he wants to come back here. I told you, I'm not going to force him either way, but if he doesn't want to leave and you want him back, you'll need to convince him yourself. If this escalates into a custody battle, I will fight for him even though there is a very good chance that I'll lose."

"I don't want to fight with you, Kisuke, not over him. You're right – it's Ichigo's choice."

"Will Isshin see it that way?"

"I don't know… I'll do my best to get him to see it this way, but I can't guarantee anything."

"He'll use my household against me if this turns into a custody battle."

"Kisuke…"

"He doesn't like us – Tessai and I. He'll like it even less that his wife's son is being raised by us."

"He won't, Kisuke, I won't let him."

Urahara stood up. "I just don't understand how you could've loved me and now you love him."

Masaki smiled. "Because you're both the same – stubborn and quirky."

"Except he's a narrow-minded ass," he said, placing his teacup in the sink.

"And you're an open-minded one," she retorted, slowly standing. "Take good care of him, okay?"

"I will. I promise." Kisuke wrapped his arms around her. "I'll have him write to you, so write back, okay? And send pictures," he added, gently patting the woman's pregnant stomach.

"I will. Thank you, Kisuke-kun," she said softly, kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome, Masaki-chan."

* * *

**- - - - - - - - - - - - -  
**

* * *

OMFG KisukeMasaki OO -crackhead-

* * *

Responses...

Hyou-kun - Shinigami? Probably not. But the ghosts will come into play later.

Katariun - Renji and Ichigo's attachment is just something that Urahara can see, not necessarily something the boys are doing intentionally.

Thank you everybody who reviewed! n.n


	5. My Pace

**Disclaimer**: No ownage u.u

**Warning**: Foul language, name-calling, violence, lewd comments - eheh, you get the picture, ne?

**Notes**: As with everything else, sorry for the slow update u.u; Other than that, there isn't much to note on this chapter except that it's long and some parts I feel are kinda stupid, but oh well. I'm not really caring too much. I'm getting what I want.

* * *

My Pace: It's Okay to Live at My Pace  
_"MY PACE de sumereba ii"_

* * *

When Urahara got back home, he found the three redheads nursing injuries in the front room with a very stern Tessai watching them. Ichigo was holding an ice pack to the back of his head and his elbows were bandaged. Renji sported a black eye, a bandaged cut on his cheek, and bandages around his hands. Jinta looked the most beat up, as he was holding a bloody towel to his nose along with an ice pack, plus sporting two black eyes and bandages around his arms and hands.

"Dare I ask what happened?"

"Jinta shoved Ichigo, then Renji punched Jinta and they got in a fistfight before I could separate them."

Indeed, Ichigo was the least scraped up of the three, but he looked the most guilty about the whole situation. Jinta and Renji were content with glaring daggers at each other from opposite ends of the room.

"Jinta called Ichigo a faggot!" Renji yelled before Urahara could even respond.

The blond man's bemused face turned stony, and Jinta suddenly looked very sorry and scared. "Tessai," Urahara said slowly, "can you see to it that Jinta-chan learns that that sort of language is not tolerated in this house?"

Tessai nodded and picked the short redhead up by the back of his shirt and took him out of the room.

"Did you break his nose?" Urahara asked.

"Tried to – Tessai said I just gave 'im a really bad bloody nose," Renji replied.

The normal amused smile came back and he pat the boy on the head. "Good enough. Are you alright, Ichigo?"

Ichigo nodded slowly. "Gomen…" he said softly.

Urahara knelt down to his level. "For what?"

"It's my fault this happened…"

"It's not your fault," Renji said. "It's Jinta's for bein' an ass."

"Renji's right, Ichigo. That kind of name-calling isn't allowed – I don't care what the situation."

"But…"

"It's Jinta's problem, Ichigo," Renji said firmly before getting up and exiting the room.

Urahara watched him before looking back at Ichigo, who had been following Renji as well. "What was that about?"

"Nothing…" Ichigo sighed and took away the icepack from his head. "What did my mother say?"

"After I explained your situation, she seems to think that you know best and she's willing to let you stay here, but if you ever want to go back home, her doors are always open for you."

Ichigo nodded slowly, taking it in. "What… what about Isshin?"

"He wasn't there when I went."

"Will he… will he come and get me? Did my momma say if he'll come and get me?"

"Your mother said she would try to get him to see things our way, but we don't know what he will do when he finds out."

"So… he could come and get me."

Urahara sighed and took off the baseball cap only to stick in on Ichigo's head. "I won't let that happen."

Ichigo smiled and dropped the icepack to give the man a hug. "Arigatou, Urahara-san."

"Please, you can call me Kisuke."

Ichigo nodded. "Arigatou, Kisuke."

* * *

It took little more than a week for Ichigo to fall into the general household pattern. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they had to clean up and get the store open by eight. The kids would work different shifts from eight until noon, when they closed to have lunch. They would open back up at one, at which time Urahara would take over until four, while the kids were home-schooled by Tessai until dinnertime. After dinner, Renji would typically go out and visit the abandoned building and the ghosts. Tuesday and Thursday, they had to get the store open by eight and all of their chores done by nine, at which time Urahara would usually be up and Tessai could home-school the four until lunch, after which they would be taken to a nearby kendo dojo, where they would train for two hours. When they got home, they were required to wash themselves and their clothes before they were allowed to do anything else. Saturday, opening the store was on Urahara's "if I feel like it" basis, but they still had to have everything cleaned up and ready to open by nine. If they didn't open, they were free to do whatever as long as their chores were done and Tessai didn't need their help. On Sunday, Tessai would take them down to the basement and train them in martial arts for the majority of the day. Tessai explained to Ichigo that they only started doing this to make Renji and Jinta fight fair.

In that week, Ichigo also met a woman they called Yoruichi-nee, who frequented the shop with her black cat of the same name (though they called him Yoruichi-nii). She often got to pull the four away from their chores to play games, which often ended up with Jinta cheating, which would piss Renji off and they would end up in a fight, and the only way Yoruichi knew how to get them to stop was by treating them to ice cream or hot cocoa from one of the nearby shops.

* * *

Two weeks went by, ending on Halloween. Ururu dressed up as a gothic Lolita black cat (with Yoruichi-nii on a leash), Jinta was some American baseball star (whose name Renji mockingly mispronounced "Gahg-neh" and "Gahn-gei"), Renji was a black-robed samurai (with an actual sword, even though it was blunt), and Ichigo was a skeleton. Tessai stayed home to pass out candy while Kisuke and Yoruichi-nee went trick-or-treating with the four. An hour into the adventure and Jinta was whining about his cleats hurting his feet, so they took a break on a park bench.

"Uhg – chocolate-covered raisins," Jinta grumbled, searching through his sack of candy. "I hate raisins."

"I like 'em," Ichigo said.

"You already got more candy than me!" Jinta whined.

"Not his fault your costume sucks, Gahn-gei," Renji stated flatly.

"It's 'Gahn-yei,' freak!" Jinta spat for the tenth time that night before swinging his plastic bat at him (Tessai wouldn't let him have a real bat for this very reason).

Renji grabbed the bat and yanked on it, jerking it out of the five-year-old's hands. "Who's the freak now, ya bat-less loser?"

"Cut it out, boys," Yoruichi said, placing her hand on Jinta's head. "If you can't behave, we'll just go home, and those of us who aren't bickering will get to split all of your candy among us," she added with a cheerful smile.

Jinta huffed. Renji scowled. "Yes, Yoruichi-nee," they said in unison, glaring at each other.

"Good boys. Are we ready to go get some more candy?"

The boys cheered and Ururu walked ahead, cheerfully swaying side to side.

* * *

When they got home, the droopy-eyed Ururu looked the most awake of the four. Jinta had been smacked via Yoruichi with his own bat, who got fed up with his whining, and was in a current state of sulking. Ichigo had dropped his sack one too many times and tore a hole in it, so Renji threw Ichigo's sack into his own and agreed to carry it if Ichigo didn't mind splitting it even with him once they got home (which he had no problem with). Other than that, though, they were quite happy to be home.

And of course, the trading began.

In the living room there ended up four main piles of candy separated into smaller piles by whatever differentiation each person chose. Within an hour, trades had been made (not without fighting) and they were happily eating and playing with the candies they had labeled "mystery goo" (since most of them were odd gummy things in unmarked packages).

"What're these? Lips?" Renji asked poking at one of those packs.

Ichigo picked it up and opened it. "They're not even gummy – I think it's wax."

"Who'd eat wax lips?" Jinta asked, taking the thing from Ichigo.

"Better hold onto that, Jinta – might be the only lips you get lucky with," Renji said.

"Die, freak!" Jinta spat, chucking the lips at the redhead. In turn, Renji chucked a gumball at him.

Ururu picked up the lips and put them over her own, to which Ichigo started cracking up, distracting the boys, who started laughing as well.

Having achieved her desired effect, she took the lips off. "Boys laugh at stupid things…" she mused to herself.

Suddenly Ichigo started coughing violently before his breathing stopped entirely and his eyes went wide as he bolted upright.

"Ichigo?" Renji asked, starting to panic. "Ichigo!" He thumped the boy on the back, which made Ichigo cough again, but he still couldn't breath properly. "Jinta – go get Kisuke!"

* * *

Ichigo had choked on the gum he'd been chewing. Unfortunately, the closest hospital happened to be the Kurosaki clinic. The ambulance team had been able to get the gum out and got him breathing again, but Ichigo had already passed out, so they wanted to take him to a clinic to make sure nothing else was wrong.

Ichigo's brown eyes slowly slipped open to a sterilized white room, and they promptly snapped shut again.

"Ichigo?"

One brown eye cracked open to see the concerned redhead by his bed.

Renji smiled. "You're awake."

"…My throat hurts…" Ichigo said softly.

"Yeah, it's gonna…"

Ichigo smiled weakly. "Kinda retarded…choking on gum…"

"Yeah, but you're okay now. That's all that matters."

Suddenly Ichigo sat up and looked around. "Renji?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Where are we?"

"At…your stepdad's clinic…" Renji answered.

Ichigo groaned and flopped back down on the bed. "Figures…"

"Not that Renji's been letting Isshin anywhere near you," Kisuke put in from the doorway, walking in. "He forced the ambulance team to give you a clean bill of health and I had to bribe him to let you rest here."

"Like I was gonna let that creep near him!"

"No, no, I understand," the blond said, patting Renji's head. "I'm just making sure Ichigo knows." Kisuke turned and walked to the door. "I'll go see if Kurosaki will let me take you home now," he said before disappearing.

Silence fell between the two boys. Ichigo was the one to break it after a minute. "You don't have to protect me from him."

"I told you – a creep that beats up a kid's got no balls. He doesn't care about you, Ichigo. He didn't even try to get me out of the way, he just told Kisuke 'You should keep your street rats at home' and then walked off. If he cared about you, he'd've pushed me outta the way. That's what pisses me off more than anythin'. He just called names like a brat and walked off. At least, y'know, if he hated ya, that'd be somethin', but he just doesn't freakin' care."

Ichigo sighed. "That's fine…" he said quietly.

* * *

The next Monday, Ichigo followed Renji to the abandoned building again.

"I wonder if Rukia managed to convince that other ghost to stay," Renji was saying. "Remember? The brown-haired girl she was talking about."

"She was older, wasn't she?" Ichigo asked.

"Like fifteen by her face—"

"And twenty by her chest – I remember now," Ichigo finished with a slightly disturbed tone.

"Nani? Ichigo doesn't like boobs?"

The orange-haired boy made a face. "They just scare me a bit, okay?"

"Does your mom's scare ya?"

Ichigo shoved him. "Th-that's perverted!"

Renji laughed. "Aiya, Ichii – you're a lot tougher than when I met ya."

Ichigo just snorted.

"You like bein' with us, though, right?"

"Y-yeah! Of course I do!"

Renji chuckled. "That's good."

"At least I can hit Jinta back now – he's finally startin' to leave me alone."

"Huh? He doesn't even bother us when I'm around, though…"

"Yeah – when you're around. When I'm alone, he keeps tryin' to beat up on me."

"Che – little brat…"

"It doesn't matter – I don't need your protection all the time, you know."

"But some of the time?"

"Huh?"

"You said you don't need it _all_ the time—"

"I don't need it at all!" Ichigo stopped, as did Renji.

"Those're big words comin' from the crybaby I saved less than a month ago!"

"I'm not a crybaby!"

"So who the hell was it that I pulled from that alley, clingin' to a stuffed animal with a lump on his head for – what was it? Oh yeah – _crying_!"

"URUSAI!" Ichigo screamed before punching Renji in the face, putting his weight behind it. The orange-haired boy had started running once his friend hit the pavement.

Renji scrambled to his feet as soon as he could, his head spinning – he had to admit, the kid hit _hard_ when he was pissed. "Shit," he growled, catching a glimpse of the younger boy running around a corner in the completely wrong direction. He quickly ran after him, wincing from the headache. _Dammit, Renji, you're an idiot!_

It didn't take long for the redhead to catch up – Ichigo had been running blindly and crashed into the very last kind of person anybody wanted to run into at night. The boy was sitting on the ground, trying his best to stop his crying. His jacket had slipped from his shoulders, the black tank-top leaving them bare.

Renji had stopped out of sight but realized, with a start, that even if this guy was a thug, Ichigo was cute and vulnerable – a victim-waiting-to-happen of something more horrible than just getting kicked around. _Don't need my protection at all, huh? Idiot – you're worse than dead if you don't get up and _run Renji grit his teeth and forced himself to stay put. Ichigo obviously didn't know what kind of danger he was in and wouldn't forgive Renji for protecting him if he didn't learn that.

"Oi, brat, watch where yer goin'," the man growled.

"G-gomen-nasai," Ichigo stuttered out, wiping tears away with the sleeve of his jacket.

"Sa'rry, ye'll hafta do better'n that fer an apology," he said, landing a kick squarely in the boy's stomach.

Ichigo tumbled back several feet and landed on his stomach, wincing in pain. He slowly pushed himself up on hands and knees before coughing, trying to regain his breath.

"Leave him alone!!" Renji yelled, running ahead to stop between the thug and his friend.

"Huh? Ya wanna git killed, too, brat?" the thug growled. "A'right, by me!" He kicked Renji in the chest, sending him backwards.

The pavement Renji braced himself to hit never happened. Instead, he had been kicked back into another person. When Renji opened his eyes and looked up, he saw the person to be a very large, dark man who was easily over six feet tall – possibly six and a half. He panicked momentarily until he saw him holding Ichigo protectively in one arm.

"Go away," the man said in a deep, firm voice. The thug panicked and ran for it, obviously realizing that he wasn't going to win. When he was safely out of sight, the man set Ichigo down. "You two should go home."

Ichigo nodded, but Renji wasn't quite so easy. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Sado Yasutora," he said politely.

"Sado…Chado—Chad!" Ichigo said happily. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Abarai Renji," Renji added. "Thanks for savin' him."

"Wha—? You jumped in, too!" Ichigo pointed out.

"If it wasn't for you, I woulda ran!" Renji retorted.

"You shoulda! I told you I didn't need your protection!"

"You don't need mine but ya don't seem ta mind bein' saved by this guy!"

"He's bigger'n you are!"

"What's that got to do with anythin'?!"

"Uhm…" Sado interrupted. "Would you like me to take you home?"

"Yes."

"No."

The answers came in unison and it wasn't sure who said what, but the boys glared at each other. "Fine!" the both said, in unison once more, crossing their arms and turning their backs on each other.

Sado watched, confused, before just picking up a boy in each arm and started walking.

"H-hey!" Renji yelped.

"Our house is the other way," Ichigo informed.

Sado turned around and started walking.

"So what's your problem?" Renji asked. "You can't stand bein' saved by another kid? You wanna be saved by an adult?"

"I'm only fifteen," Sado said.

"Holy hell!" Renji exclaimed.

Ichigo stayed silent, not responding.

Renji glared at him for a moment. "Answer me, dammit!!"

"Why should I?" Ichigo said angrily. "Whatever _you_ can protect me from, I can protect _myself_ from!"

"Like hell you can, crybaby!"

"Stop calling me that!!" Ichigo yelled, tears in his eyes again.

"See – it's things like that that Jinta keeps callin' you a girl!"

"He stopped after I kicked him in the crotch!"

"I'm pretty sure he's moved on to other names, hasn't he?"

"And I hit him for every one!"

"Then why don't you hit me for callin' you a crybaby?"

"I did!"

"Yeah – _once_. And you ran off."

Ichigo bit his lip and looked away.

"Che…brat," Renji growled.

Ichigo winced slightly but didn't respond otherwise.

The rest of the way to the Urahara Shoten was in relative silence, as Renji directed Sado in the right direction.

The only time Ichigo spoke after that was when he bowed and thanked Sado for taking them home. After that, he had run up to their room, leaving Renji to offer hospitality to their escort, who politely refused, saying he needed to get home. That just left Renji with explaining to Urahara why they were home early.

When the older boy finally got up to their room, he found Ichigo sitting down, hugging his knees to his chest. His brown eyes were purposely averted to an empty corner of the room.

Renji got ready for bed in silence. It wasn't until he had laid down next to him that Ichigo spoke.

"It hurts more…coming from you," Ichigo said softly.

"What're you talking about?"

"Why I don't hit you for calling me names. I hit Jinta 'cause he's annoying and he's got no reason callin' me names. But when you…" Ichigo stopped and shook his head. "I don't like hitting you," he whispered, almost inaudible, "for the same reason I don't like you protecting me."

Renji tried to process that, but when he couldn't, he looked up at him. "What?"

"I can take the hits, you know. I can stand gettin' kicked around. You don't have to take that for me."

The redhead sat up and faced him. "Why? I don't get you – what've hittin' me and bein' protected by me hafta do with each other?"

"It makes you get hurt 'cause of me!" Ichigo buried his face against his knees, and Renji recognized the telltale trembling that proved he was crying.

"So?" he said bluntly. "If ya hit me, it's prob'ly 'cause I deserve it. And if I didn't wanna get hurt on your account, then I wouldn't keep protecting you." When Ichigo looked up at him, he continued. "I got no reason to be your big brother, but I wanna be. I know you can take the hits, but I don't want you to have to."

Ichigo stayed silent for a moment, tears in his eyes. "If you're my big brother, how am I supposed to be a big brother to my sisters?" he asked softly, his voice shaking.

"Huh?"

Ichigo uncurled and pulled out a picture from his lap – it was of his mother holding two babies wrapped in pink blankets. Renji took it from him and turned it over, seeing the loopy characters in blue ink.

_Hey baby! I guess I can't call you that anymore, since you're a big brother now! Your sisters' names are Karin and Yuzu – Karin's the tough little one with the black hair, and Yuzu's the cute one with brown hair. They're a handful! I hope you're doing well with Kisuke and his kids – I guess you're already a big brother to them, ne? I wanted to stop by before but the girls came sooner than expected, and I just haven't been able to find the time. In a few weeks, once everything settles down, the girls and I will come visit you. Until then, you're always welcome to come visit us, too! The house is a mess, though (laugh)._

_Miss you, baby!_

_Love, Mommy_

Renji turned it back over to the picture once more before handing it back to Ichigo. "When did you get that?"

"A week before Halloween," Ichigo said softly. "I…should've wanted to see her. And them. But I didn't. I wanted to run away again…" He paused. "I'm a shitty big brother…"

Renji lightly smacked him upside the head. "No you aren't. _Thinking_ you're shitty makes you shitty. As long as you're tryin', you're the best big brother you can be."

"I'm not even there, Renji! How the hell can I be a big brother if I can't even be around them to protect them?"

"Then we'll ask Kisuke if he can take us to see them."

"What's that gonna prove? Even if I see them now, that's not the same as bein' there all the time. That's not the same as bein' their big brother."

"You can talk to your momma," Renji said. "That'd be a little more useful than askin' me what you should do – hell, I'm a shitty source. I ran out on my baby sister."

"I thought you said you got kicked out…"

"I did the last time. Before that, I ran out on my sister and she got killed," he explained softly. "You don't have to worry about your momma doin' anything to them – it's Isshin you gotta stand up to for them. That's somethin' I wish I'd done – I wish I'd told my old man to keep his hands off her. The big brother's supposed to take the hits for the little brothers and sisters. I screwed up once, I ain't gonna screw up again, 'cause as long as they're your little sisters, they're my little sisters, too."

Ichigo teared up again at the proclamation. "Arigatou, Renji…"

Renji became uneasy at Ichigo's reaction. "Whatever… Can we go to sleep now?"

Ichigo nodded and put the pictures away before laying down with Renji, snuggling up to the older boy. "Renji?"

"Hm?"

"Promise you won't tell them I'm a crybaby."

"Stop bein' a crybaby and I won't tell 'em you're one."

Ichigo thumped his chest. "I'm serious."

Renji winced. "Watch it – that bastard kicked me there."

"Oh – sorry," the younger chuckled softly. "How's your head doin'?"

"Where you hit me? Che – that was nothin'. Ya hit like a girl."

Ichigo lifted his head and tapped none-too-gently at the bruise.

"Aye!" Renji yelped, wincing again.

Ichigo smirked, satisfied, and laid back down, finally falling asleep.

* * *

**- - - - - - - - - - - - -**

* * *

Haha, I put Chad in o.o 


End file.
